Importance of Grooming. 105 



How far this principle is carried with many 

 of our town dray and cab horses can be clearly 

 ascertained by merely passing within a few yards 

 as they stand in the street. After they have 

 spent hours in the open air, the odour of the 

 stable is yet strongly upon them. 



There are, doubtless, good reasons to be 

 assigned for this in some instances, the most 

 common being that of absolute laziness. There 

 are, however, cases where a groom or horsekeeper 

 is expected to execute multifarious duties in 

 addition to those 01 the stable, and in conse- 

 quence the horse is neglected. Another fruitful 

 source of neglect is to be found in low wages, 

 and the men endeavour to make up the deficiency 

 by looking after per-centages. 



Therefore it proves to his interest to be care- 

 less and incur expense upon all sides, which is 

 done to an alarming pitch in some instances. A 

 third cause is the unreasonable number of horses 

 which are placed under the care of horsekeepers. 

 This is a most monstrous practice in some of the 

 coal mines. I have found it to occur invariably, 

 that where the animals are working in the greatest 

 amount of heat and dust two or even three 

 miles from the bottom of the shaft where they 

 perspire most freely, and endure every vicissi- 

 tude inimical to general health, there they have 

 had the least attention. 



All this arose from an excess of duties. 



In such cases I found men having the care of 



